The Monday deadline for candidates to turn in nomination papers for the March 6 town election came and went, and all the current members of the Selectboard up for re-election have decided to run again.
David Gartenstein will be challenged by Kathryn Turnas for the one three-year seat.
For the two one-year seats, incumbents Dick DeGray and Chris Chapman will be running, as will William Morlock III.
Gartenstein was elected to a one-year term on the Selectboard in 2011 after having served on the Brattleboro Union High School Board from 2008 to 2011 and the Brattleboro Town School Board from 2002 to 2004. He is also an assistant state's attorney in Windham County.
On Friday, Feb. 10, Forest Service employees from the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont will take to the slopes of local ski areas, including Mount Snow resort, to share a new Junior Snow Ranger Activity booklet with local school children. The activity book, designed for children in elementary...
Having convened a homeless housing summit last June in Montpelier, Gov. Peter Shumlin signaled his concern that all Vermonters be safely sheltered and housed throughout the year, while recognizing that barriers exist to keeping chronically homeless people housed. Last Wednesday, Shumlin issued an executive order that reconstitutes the Vermont...
Beginning on Friday, Feb. 3, the Bellows Falls Opera House Cinema will schedule additional matinee showings on both Friday and Saturday afternoons. Matinees will begin at 3 p.m. on both days. Additional showings on those evenings will continue, and show times will vary depending on the length of the individual film. “We have been approached by numerous individuals who would like to see current movies but are unable to attend evening showings,” said Rockingham Municipal Manager Tim Cullenen. “These people...
Back in December, Gov. Peter Shumlin spoke to the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce and outlined his priorities for Vermont in the coming years. To Shumlin, Vermont needs three things to be competitive in a global economy: improved broadband Internet access, a more-streamlined and less-expensive health-care system, and more investment in education. “If we get it right on these three things, we win, the other states lose, and we get the jobs,” said Shumlin. He most enthused about education, saying...
In hockey, you can play a great game, and lose because you're facing a goalie who is stopping every shot fired at her. Conversely, you can put out the same effort in the next game and win big because you're not facing a great goaltender. That was the story for the Brattleboro girls' hockey team last week. The Colonels ran into a hot goalie, Harwood's Siena Damon, last Wednesday at Withington Rink, and ended up with a 2-0 loss. Damon...
Obituaries Editor's note: The Commons will publish brief biographical information for citizens of Windham County and others, on request, as community news, free of charge. • Howard F. “Howie” Aiken, 52, of Hinsdale, N.H. Died Jan. 26 in Keene, N.H. Brother of Mary Whittle and husband, Norman Sr., and Bonnie Aiken, all of Hinsdale, and Holly Franklin and husband, Stanley, of Brattleboro. Additionally he leaves several nieces and nephews. Memorial information: A memorial service will be conducted Feb. 2 at...
Library eBook borrowing surges in 2011 BRATTLEBORO - According to the most recent report from the Pew Internet and Life Project, the number of Americans owning at least one tablet computer, eBook reader, or other digital reading device jumped from 18 percent in December to 29 percent in January. Brooks Memorial Library patrons love to download. In 2011, library members borrowed 721 titles, ranking it third in Vermont behind Rutland (743) and Essex Free Library (761). Of the 139 libraries...
The Brattleboro Concert Choir, directed by Susan Dedell, is beginning work on Larry Siegel's landmark composition, Kaddish, with rehearsals beginning in February in preparation for concerts to be presented at the Latchis Theatre on May 19 and 20. Kaddish is a powerful work for chorus, soloists, and chamber orchestra, a collection of 15 original songs fashioned largely from testimonies of Holocaust survivors. They are the result of first-hand interviews that composer Siegel conducted over several years. In his words, “the...
With its future hanging in the balance, ReNew Building Materials & Salvage has begun a major fundraising drive. ReNew executive director Nancy Bern said that “sales and deconstruction jobs have dropped off, as often happens in the winter months, but things have been slowing for the past year and now we are working very hard to keep our staff together and meet operation expenses so our doors can stay open.” Bern said the lingering effects of the current recession have...
Amherst College professor Michele Barale will explore the work of novelist Willa Cather in a talk at Brooks Memorial Library in Brattleboro on Feb. 1. Her talk, “Willa Cather's Prairie Landscapes,” is part of the Vermont Humanities Council's First Wednesdays lecture series and takes place at 7 p.m. The European immigrant farmers in My Antonia and Cather's other novels fail nearly as often as they succeed. Professor Barale will examine the relation between Cather's art and her very tangible earth.
On Sunday, Feb. 5, at 4 p.m., the Brattleboro Music Center will present pianists Anna Polonsky and Orion Weiss in a program of music for piano four hands at Centre Congregational Church, 193 Main St. The program includes Variations on an Original Theme in Ab major, D.813, by Franz Schubert; Bilder aus Osten (Pictures from the East), Op. 66, by Robert Schumann; Sonata in D major, K. 381, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; and Rapsodie Espagnole, by Maurice Ravel. According to...
For serious open-minded environmentalists, there's a lot to dislike about Vermont's new Comprehensive Energy Plan. The plan admits somewhat shamefacedly that, despite good intentions, Vermont won't have enough renewable power anytime soon, so difficult decisions must be made. So, basically, the plan is saying: out with Vermont Yankee, in with burning more natural gas and coal. Only to the most zealous anti-nuclear ideologue does this decision make environmental sense. The historical record of fossil-fuel power generation is replete with emissions-related...
The Brattleboro Planning Office, along with AARP Vermont, has released a comprehensive report that resulted from an Active Living Workshop held in November. The workshop was aimed at identifying problems and recommending improvements to a busy section of Canal Street south of the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital with a particular focus on pedestrian safety and access. Town officials, residents and planners gathered in late fall to look at this gateway to Brattleboro - a site chosen by town and community groups.
I was asked recently what my favorite bird is. Before I could answer, the interrogator said, “My favorite bird is the chickadee.” Implicit was a challenge that dared me to disagree. I always dance around that question, even if no one is challenging me. There are just too many birds out there to narrow the choice down to one. That said, a good argument can be made for the chickadee being your favorite bird, and it's one of my favorites...
As part of the Academic Speakers Series “Art, Empathy and Social Change,” Landmark College will present Meg Mott, Marlboro College professor and Brattleboro Reformer columnist. Mott will be speaking on the topic “On the Emancipation of Eagles” on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. “Less than 200 years ago, African-Americans were considered too inferior to be dignified with civil rights,” Mott says. “Not until the 1964 Civil Rights Act did Congress provide effective mechanisms for black Americans to assert their...
In the year 2042, during the lifetime of the next generation of Vermonters, the United States will become a “majority minority” nation. As it stands, there are fewer non-Hispanic whites than other ethnic and racial groups in California, Hawaii, New Mexico, and Texas, as well as in 13 of the 40 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. The demographic shift in Vermont, albeit slower than the rest of the nation, is nonetheless happening. While our population shift may be...
It sure is nice to get an A on your report card. An A-plus is even better. Holton Home is celebrating an A-plus! I'd like to thank everyone who made it, not just possible, but inevitable! As a licensed long-term care facility, Holton Home must care for its elder residents according to strict regulations. It's unusual to be found in full compliance with every one of them, but our state licensing folks say Holton Home is such a place. They...
After failing to get the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA) passed in 2010, Senator Patrick Leahy is back again this year with Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and the Theft of Intellectual Property Act (PIPA, or PROTECT IP). Do not forget that PIPA is the son of COICA. These guys really love their acronyms. Back then, while the Vermont American Civil Liberties Union was nominating Leahy as Civil Libertarian of the Year, the national ACLU office...
Vermont Yankee is often criticized for “not having a solution” for its spent fuel. Actually, the nuclear industry has invested heavily in two solutions, only to be stymied by the anti-nuclear lobby. First, billions of dollars have been spent to develop a nuclear waste repository in Nevada. For existing spent fuel that won't just go away if every power plant were to close tomorrow, Yucca Mountain would be the best, safest place. Second, the U.S. could successfully reprocess spent fuel,
By all accounts, when March 21 comes and goes, the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant will still be cranking out electric power, just as it has done for 40 years. That appears to be the immediate effect of federal court Judge J. Garvan Murtha's Jan. 19 ruling - that it can continue operating after its initial license expires in March. Beyond that, though, many questions linger about whether the Vernon plant's operating future will be measured in months, years or...
Defying the will of Vermonters, Entergy Nuclear has successfully won the first stage of its trial to allow it to break its word and to usurp the rights of the Vermont legislature. Judge J. Garvan Murtha effectively delivered a slap in the face to the people of Vermont by saying that, contrary to prior Supreme Court judgments, the legislature has no right to regulate the operation of the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor. The Public Service Board is now the only...
Registration has begun for the fourth annual edition of Spell Check! A Spelling Bee for Grown-Ups. On April 14 at 6 p.m. on the main stage at the Latchis Theatre, the humorous evening of serious thought benefits Latchis Arts (formerly the Brattleboro Arts Initiative) and pits trios of spellers against one another before a whimsical panel: Master of Ceremonies Tom Bodett, Judge Archer Mayor, and Beekeeper Jim Maxwell. “Rampant wordplay, anecdotes, bicycle horns, and laughter are sure to deliver the...
As a perennial left-field candidate, I would like to issue a public statement to Attorney General William Sorrell regarding the Vermont Yankee decision. Obviously, I was disappointed by the Jan. 19 ruling by Judge J. Garvan Murtha on the continued operation of the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor. I am concerned that the beating Sorrell received last year from the Roberts court - over the state law against pharmaceutical industry using private records to intimidate and bully our doctors - will...
Programs of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital's New Moms Network, a free service of the BMH Birthing Center, in February start with “How a Baby Learns to Love” on Wednesday, Feb. 8, presented by Jennifer Bailes, therapist and mom. The program on Wednesday, Feb. 15 will feature a baby parade at the Thompson House. Please meet in the downstairs meeting room at 10 a.m. On Wednesday, Feb. 22, new moms will learn “The Spiritual Side of Mothering: What do you want your...
The Brattleboro Women's Chorus thinks that love is one of the best reasons to celebrate, and they want to help make sure your Valentine's Day 2012 won't be ho-hum. Instead of sappy greeting cards or little heart candies with overused phrases, they are ready to help express your fondness or appreciation with something memorable, moving, and melodic - an uplifting serenade for your Valentine in three-part harmony. Send good will and cheer to friends and loved ones in the Brattleboro...
Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA) is seeking nominations to fill a vacancy in the “client representative sector” of its board of directors. The opening is for a representative who comes from or is elected by the low-income population that the anti-poverty agency serves. SEVCA's mission is to enable people to cope with, and reduce the hardships of, poverty create sustainable self-sufficiency, and reduce the causes and move toward the elimination of poverty throughout Windham and Windsor counties. Nominees for board...
Strolling of the Heifers invites participation in a variety of categories during the 11th annual Strolling of the Heifers Weekend, which takes place June 1 through 3. Online registration or application pages are now open: • Live Green Expo vendor registration: Vendors and exhibitors are invited to register for booth space at the Live Green Expo on Saturday, June 2 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Town Common and the Brattleboro Retreat Grounds. Applicable fees are detailed on...
Project Feed the Thousands' 18th annual food drive surpassed its annual goal by a significant margin, according to Project co-chairs Kelli Corbeil and Jeff Morse. Corbeil and Morse announced last week that individuals and organizations donated more than 27 trailer trucks of food, an amount equal to more than 67,500 bags of groceries. The largest annual food drive in southeastern Vermont, the Project also raised over $134,000 in cash. Project Feed the Thousands supplies items and financially supports the storage...
Like many students, Elayne Clift first read The Scarlet Letter in high school and has admired the character of Hester Prynne ever since. “Hester Prynne has always been my literary heroine,” she says. “I just think she's the most extraordinary woman, and I love the story.” Enough so that Clift has moved Prynne and her daughter, Pearl, from the Puritan setting of Hawthorne's original and has re-imagined the characters in a more modern setting. Hester's Daughters, Clift's new novel, chronicles...
After nearly five years of work, the first significant addition to the town's recreation space in more than a half-century is nearly complete. The 10.7 acre West River Park, located on Route 30 just northwest of the Interstate 91 bridges, will include a lighted softball diamond, an all-purpose field for soccer, lacrosse and Ultimate Frisbee, and a walking trail around the park's perimeter. The park will also have a concession stand, a picnic and play area, and a canoe and...
Open Music Collective has just started its spring semester with new classes and perennial favorites from teachers Jamie MacDonald, David Goodrich, and Draa Hobbs. The Jazz Vocal Repertoire (JVR) class, on Mondays at 5 p.m., features all-new songs picked with a nod to the music and teachings of Sheila Jordan to celebrate the award-winning jazz vocalist's recent honor by the National Endowment of the Arts. The class will be taught by Jamie MacDonald, who was Jordan's student and accompanist. On...
Dummerston might be getting a new Dunkin' Donuts store, but it won't have a drive-through window. On Jan. 4, the town Development Review Board (DRB) issued a conditional use permit for the doughnut shop to Sandri Realty of Greenfield, Mass., the owners of Mike & Terry's Exit 4 Sunoco on Route 5, near Exit 4 of Interstate 91 and the Dummerston/Putney town line. But the DRB rejected a request to build a drive-up window at the gas station, and to...
The Grafton Volunteer Fire Department (GVFD) recently held technical rescue training during what Brattleboro's Rescue Inc. technical rescue trainer Capt. Drew Hazleton termed “ideal conditions” - an iced pond with open water at around 34 to 38 degrees and air temperatures in the “low teens.” Masochistic? Not when the training covers ice and water rescues. Rescue Inc. conducts training throughout Windham County, about 40 sessions per year. “This is one of our primary goals, to get people trained so they...